Kuzul

David Price should’ve won his first American League Cy Young Award.

The voters selected a pitcher who finished the season one game above .500. Felix Hernandez had a good year but not a Cy Young year.

Although Hernandez had a .227 ERA compared to Price’s .272, the difference between 13 and 19 wins is much more substantial. The thought that wins don’t matter in the voting of a Cy Young candidate is ludicrous. 

Pitchers are the only players in baseball who get credit for wins. Therefore, wins are an important means of measuring one pitcher’s performance to another.

Seventeen pitchers had more wins than Hernandez in 2010. Hernandez actually won seven fewer games than he did in 2009.

Not too many players can say they won a Cy Young in a year that they won almost a third fewer games than the year prior.

To his credit, Hernandez did pitch the most innings and the second most strikeouts, which was enough for him to be a finalist for the award but not the winner.

He was by far the most dominant pitcher in the AL. Although Price was tied for second in the AL with 19 wins this season he had the best winning percentage, winning 76 percent of the games he received a decision.

His leadership and arm led the Tampa Bay Rays to their second postseason berth. He finished the season third in the AL with a 2.72 ERA. He also compiled 188 strikeouts in his 208.2 innings pitched.

He also won crucial games during the season when faced against the top pitchers in the AL including fellow Cy Young candidate CC Sabathia.

It is much more difficult to be a dominant pitcher when every game counts for your team’s postseason hopes. Price excelled when the ball was in his glove and every pitch mattered.

There are countless examples of teams not playing their best when facing teams they deem inferior. Hernandez was able to capitalize on those situations.

Although Hernandez had an incredible season, Price was the best AL pitcher in 2010.

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Although some of the more committed fans won’t acknowledge it, the 2010 American League Cy Young Award is a two-horse race between CC Sabathia and Felix Hernandez.

The New York Yankees’ and Seattle Mariners’ aces opened up a considerable window between themselves and the rest of the field as the season wore through its 162-game slate. Though the ratios and most of the stats tell a muddled story—with chapters of decent length devoted to Cliff Lee, Jered Weaver, Francisco Liriano, David Price, Justin Verlander, Clay Buchholz, Trevor Cahill and Jon Lester— there is one key number that separates Carsten Charles and King Felix.

That would be the number in the innings-pitched category.

The Stallions Were Also Work Horses

Hernandez led the American League with 249.2 innings pitched while Sabathia came in second with 237.2. Those two were head-and-shoulders above the other elite starters in the Junior Circuit, who wallowed between 224 and 200 (give or take a few outs).

That’s not a huge lead, but considering how similar the totality of the other circumstances are, the difference becomes hugely significant.

Compare the two front-runners’ numbers, complete with ranking in the AL, along with a couple of the second tier of contenders:

Hernandez: 249.2 IP (1st), 2.27 ERA (1st), 1.06 WHIP (2nd), .212 BAA (1st), .585 OPSA (1st), 3.31 K/BB (7th), 3.04 FIP (4th), 3.26 xFIP (3rd), 6.2 WAR (3rd)

Sabathia: 237.2 IP (2nd), 3.18 ERA (T-6th), 1.19 WHIP (T-2nd), .239 BAA (12th), .656 OPSA (11th), 2.66 K/BB (14th), 3.54 FIP (10th), 3.78 xFIP (10th), 5.1 WAR (8th)

Weaver: 224.1 IP (T-3rd), 3.01 ERA (5th), 1.07 WHIP (3rd), .228 BAA (7th),  .622 OPSA (T-5th), 4.31 K/BB (2nd), 3.06 FIP (5th), 3.51 xFIP (5th), 5.9 WAR (5th)

Lee: 212.1 (10th), 3.18 ERA (T-6th), 1.00 WHIP (1st), .246 BAA (T-16th), .618 OPSA (3rd), 10.28 K/BB (1st), 2.58 FIP (1st), 3.23 xFIP (2nd), 7.1 WAR (1st)

Clearly both men were amongst the best in hurlers in baseball, regardless of which assortment of metrics you choose. Neither case is unassailable, but take one of the other studs and you can poke holes in their arguments as well.

Weaver was excellent across the board, but he was also behind Felix across the board (except for strikeout-to-walk ratio).

Lee, on the other hand, was statistically phenomenal, but he was a hired gun who switched allegiances midseason. Additionally, his innings-pitched total, earned run average and batting average against are considerable vulnerabilities.

The same exercise can be repeated for all the top dawgs.

The Rub

Of course, the obvious two elephants in the room are the record and the degree of difficulty.

CC blows King Felix away in both regards…on the surface.

That’s only half true—the keystone of the Bronx Bombers’ rotation obliterated his counterpart in Seattle as far as wins and losses were concerned. The big fella boasted a record of 21-7 while Hernandez went 13-12, but that’s more a function of the two teams involved.

New York finished with its customarily gaudy body of work, 95-67 to be exact.

Meanwhile, the Mariners limped to the second-worst record in Major League Baseball at 61-101. Only the tragically inept Pittsburgh Pirates were worse. Combine that with the current state of baseball—in which even the best and most durable starters average seven innings or less per start—and the win-loss record ceases to have much relevance.

But degree of difficulty isn’t quite what it seems.

Context Is Everything, But It’s Not Enough

Let’s deal with an unpopular truth—performing in New York City, especially in pinstripes, is more difficult for 99 percent of human beings, with nutters like David Wells being the possible exceptions.

ESPN riled everyone up against the axis of sporting on the East Coast, so that many deny that obvious truth. But it is the truth and demonstrably so: Javier Vazquez and Randy Johnson aren’t the only individuals who have wilted to some degree (or completely) under the unreasonable bright lights of the Big Apple.

Consequently, Sabathia’s otherwise rickety numbers get a rather large bump, as they do for tossing his days away in the AL East—unquestionably the hardest division in baseball. Even though he didn’t have to throw against the Yankees’ juggernaut. CC still faced the unpleasant task of staring down barrels aimed by the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.

And he had to do a lot of that work in the New Yankee Stadium, not the most flattering place for pitchers.

So the Vallejo native’s season must be viewed through that jagged lens and only then can it be seen as potentially Felix Hernandez’ equal.

The Anti-Rub

Potentially.

But not actually.

Take arguably the top six 2010 AL offenses—the Yanks, Red Sox, Rays, Jays, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. Here’s how each Cy Young candidate fared against the biggest boppers:

Hernandez

BOS—7.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 9 K

MIN—15 IP, 4 ER, 12 H, 2 BB, 13 K

NYY—26 IP, 1 ER, 16 H, 8 BB, 31 K

TB—DID NOT FACE 

TEX—40 IP, 19 ER, 39 H, 12 BB, 31 K

TOR—8 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 5 K

TOTAL—96.1 IP, 26 ER, 73 H, 27 BB, 89 K

Sabathia

BOS—25 IP, 11 ER, 20 H, 8 BB, 17 K

MIN—DID NOT FACE 

NYY—DID NOT FACE 

TAM—34.2 IP, 13 ER, 29 H, 14 BB, 29 K

TEX—6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 9 K

TOR—8.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K

TOTAL—74 IP, 26 ER, 55 H, 24 BB, 63 K

When the curtain gets pulled back, you can see it was Felix Hernandez who actually saw more of the premiere offenses in baseball. What’s more, he outperformed CC Sabathia against those offenses.

Conclusion

When you look at the landscape of professional pitching this season, it’s clear that the second “Year of the Pitcher” extended to both leagues.

The Junior Circuit, like the National League, had aces come out of the woodwork and twirl unhittable frame after unhittable frame. There were at least 10 extraordinary seasons, but there is only one AL Cy Young Award, and it’s reserved for the absolute best.

Tim Lincecum and Zack Greinke showed in 2009 that wins and losses are on the brink of obsolescence, but they weren’t up against a rep from the Evil Empire with his black-robed media cabal in tow. So it remains to be seen whether the glint of 21 wins in New York City will be enough to distract the voters.

Hopefully not.

Because, in 2010, the best was Felix Hernandez.

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While baseball won’t have a free agent summit quite like the NBA did this past offseason, there is still one hefty prize still on the market.  Most teams won’t have pockets deep enough to contend for the big fish in this year’s free agent class, Cliff Lee.

Aside from Lee, the next best player (arguably) looking for a big payday is left fielder, Carl Crawford.

Where Will Crawford End Up?

Every team in baseball could use a guy like Carl Crawford.  For his career he is batting .296 and just recorded his best slugging percentage in a season.  His worth extends well beyond the plate, however, as he won the 2010 Gold Glove (and the Silver Slugger).

While everybody could use a guy like Crawford, very few teams can actually afford him.  All the usual suspects, the Yankees and the Red Sox could look to acquire him.  Additionally, the Angels, Tigers, Rangers and really the Nationals might also look to make noise to acquire him.

By all accounts, the Angels appear to be the front runner.  They have signaled their willingness to spend money this offseason and need to re-tool to keep pace with division foes.  The Tigers have a lot of money coming off their books and might look to make a play but the Angels have the added bonus of having Crawford’s friend, Tori Hunter on the roster. 

Ultimately, while the Red Sox may pursue Crawford, early reports indicate that Jayson Werth might be the favored option. I think Crawford will end up with the Angels.

The Cliff Lee Summit

Cliff Lee is easily the best pitcher on the market right now.  As with Carl Crawford, very few teams have the cash available to sign a guy like Lee. 

The Rangers, Yankees, Nationals, Phillies, Red Sox and Cubs have all indicated some level of interest, but the early front runners are the Rangers and Yankees.

The Rangers front office recently met with Lee in Arkansas but have not made an offer.  Reportedly, this meeting focused less on compensation but on quality of life.  The Rangers know they can’t outbid the Yankees and are hoping to sell Arlington’s proximity to Lee’s Arkansas home.

The Yankees have stated that pitching is their top priority in the offseason.  Lee would certainly solidify their rotation.  CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee played together in Cleveland and are reportedly good friends.  Whether that has any impact on Lee’s decision remains to be seen. 

Ultimately, however, Lee will demand a contract like Sabathia’s seven-year, $161 million contract.  I think in all likelihood, the Yankees will win the bidding war and end up with Lee on their roster next year.

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Three weeks ago, Bleacher Report’s Featured Columnists began to unveil the results of our end-of-season wards poll. We’ve looked at Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, Comeback Players of the Year, Relief Men of the Year, Rookies of the Year, and Managers of the year.

Now, in our last week, we get to the good part: Cy Youngs and MVPs.

Today, as the BBWAA announces its choices for Rookies of the Year (too bad we already beat them to it!), we turn our attention to the American League Cy Young race.

As always the top five vote-getters are featured here, with commentary from the writers who chose them. The full list of results is at the end.

So read on, see how we did, and be sure to tell us what we got wrong!

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When it comes to pitching statistics, wins are nearly as insignificant as saves.

That’s why it’s ridiculous to exclude Felix Hernandez from the American League Cy Young Award race simply because the terrible team he plays for allowed him to win only 13 games.

King Felix’s 2.27 ERA led baseball and his 249 2/3 innings were tops in the AL. His 232 strikeouts and 1.06 WHIP were second best in the league and he finished third with six complete games.

When you consider that no team in the designated hitter era scored fewer than the Mariners’ 3.17 runs per game this season, it’s pretty easy to throw wins and losses out the window.

Taking that one step further, Hernandez led the Majors in ERA and he didn’t even get to pad his statistics by facing one of the worst offenses of all time.

Clay Buchholz (17-7, 2.33) went 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA against Seattle, Trevor Cahill (18-8, 2.97) was 1-0 with a 0.00 mark vs. the Mariners and CC Sabathia, who led the league with 21 wins but had an ERA nearly a run higher than Hernandez, was 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA against Seattle.

In fact, when you remove Sabathia’s stats against the Mariners, his ERA rises from 3.18 to 3.57.

Hernandez, meanwhile, was 3-0 with a 0.35 ERA vs. the Yankees in 2010.

That’s right, the Seattle hurler had a lower ERA against the best offense in baseball than Sabathia had against the worst.

Hernandez was dead last among 92 qualifying pitchers in Major League Baseball at 3.75 runs of support per game; Sabathia was 15th at 7.31.

Some critics like to say Hernandez rarely had to pitch in a pressure situation because his team didn’t play a meaningful game all season. But you could say he was under more pressure than any pitcher because he knew that if he gave up a run, his team had pretty much no shot at winning.

In fact, Hernandez faced more batters in high leverage situations this year than Sabathia did and had better results.

Opponents hit just .205 off the right-hander in those spots, while they batted .258 vs. the lefty.

Sabathia had a tremendous season as he finished second in the league in winning percentage (.750) and innings pitched (237 2/3) and placed sixth with 197 strikeouts, seventh in ERA and 10th with a 1.19 WHIP.

But the choice is clear when it comes to picking an American League Cy Young.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

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If you have been following the Yankees young 2010 offseason, or have even just been keeping up with NY sports in general, you know there are basically only two topics worth discussing. The first and most obvious is how badly the Yanks want to get free agent pitcher Cliff Lee. That’s a no-brainer though and with Lee the Yankees will have an unstoppable rotation.

The other topic has been Derek Jeter. When will the front office fire an offer? How much will they give him? How long will the contract be? And most importantly, for how many more seasons will DJ be the Yankees starting shortstop?

So after yesterday, camp Jeter now has another argument to work with now that he’s locked down another Gold Glove. In my mind 2011 will be no different than any other year. Your boy is going to bat either No. 1 or No. 2, he’s going to be the starting SS and he will most certainly be twirling out commercials that make you want to do all things Jeter related.

If Jeter endorses it, I want it.

He’s got the touch, the golden ticket, and the sexiest fiancée on Earth. Give the man a lifetime deal. I never want this guy to go anywhere.

Jeter winning the Gold Glove has been garnering a lot of controversy these days. If you’re rating it simply on errors, fielding percentage and intangibles then Jeter winning this is a layup. He made six errors, had a .989 fielding percentage and still turned the double play ball as good as anyone in baseball.

However, others will argue his diminished range disabled him from getting to a lot of balls that might have relieved him of a number of errors as a result. Not to mention Cano and Tex, both easily the best defenders at their position in 2010 hands down, may have contributed to Jeter’s almost flawless season at short.

But numbers are numbers. Screw the intangibles, and forget all the theories. Jeter has an ageless Gold Glove that will never leave him. I’m talking about his skills at snagging, and grabbing some of the hottest babes walking the planet. So if they award Jeter a Gold Glove from now until he retires, it’s obviously because he’s receiving praise for catching some real “fireballs” in his day.

With that said, it will be interesting to see what Cashman and the Yankees front office decide to do when it comes time to offer him a contract.

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With Major League Baseball in its free agent infancy, it is time to start figuring out what the Yankees should do to retool for the 2011 season. With the free-agent market fairly weak after Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford, the Yankees will need to spend wisely.

They also enter the offseason with a few big questions. How much will they be willing to overpay for Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera? Will Andy Pettitte come back for one more season? If they do not sign Lee what does the rotation look like?

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Summing up the power of the American League East is simple. Just consider this startling statistic: In the last four years, three separate teams from the American League East have made the World Series.

Furthermore, in 15 seasons since the wild-card was introduced, only five teams other than the Yankees or Red Sox have won the award. Simply put: the American League East is an elite division.

Even before the Tampa Bay Rays startled the world in 2008, the Yankees and Red Sox were two of the most powerful teams in Major League Baseball. With the addition of the Rays, who have been a serious contender since 2008, the American League East is nearly unstoppable.

However, as the 2010 season comes to a close, after featuring a rare World Series without the Yankees, Rays or Red Sox, we are beginning to see signs that the American League East may be losing some of its power.

Maybe for the seasons to come, the American League will be more even-matched. 

Let’s start with the New York Yankees.

After winning the World Series in 2009, the Yankees had a rocky season in 2010, ultimately ending in a Texas Rangers defeat in the American League Championship series. New York was up-in-arms over the loss, but not because the Yankees weren’t in the World Series. Rather, it was because, for once, the future didn’t look so bright.

The Rangers showed the world something about the New York Yankees: if you can get to CC Sabathia, the Yankees aren’t all that scary. A.J. Burnett was a disaster, and nobody has any reason to believe he will recover. 

The rest of the pitching staff is a bit concerning as well.

Nobody knows where Andy Pettitte will be in the years to come, and nobody knows what to expect from Phil Hughes. In fact, even when both pitched great games, the Yankees failed to prevail.

When Derek Jeter didn’t perform this season, the age concerns finally began to manifest inside the minds of Yankees fans. How will Jorge Posada fit in in the future? Can we rely on Alex Rodriguez? What can we expect from Jeter? Will Mariano Rivera continue to perform? Will Andy Pettitte be back? 

Even when all of these questions are answered, the future will still look uncertain.

Yes, the Yankees know they can, and probably will sign Cliff Lee, and that will help. But the concern surrounding the Yankees goes beyond big-time pitching.

The players that were essential to the teams success for the last decade now look to be on the decline, and Yankees fans are left to hope and prey for the future. The Yankees will always succeed, but how the questions as to how they will succeed are all too concerning.

The Red Sox are next. After a dreadful season—by their standards, at least—Boston looks to be in no position to improve. Victor Martinez will likely be gone next season, and nobody knows if Adrian Beltre (the one bright spot this season) will be back either.

Their pitching staff is extremely concerning as well. Even with the varying success of Jon Lester and Clay Buccholz, the Red Sox had trouble maintaining leads and win streaks. Their bullpen is nothing special, and Jonathan Papelbon does not see a pretty road ahead of him. 

David Ortiz is also another point of concern for the Red Sox.

After resigning him to a one-year deal, Boston fans are likely to see another dismal season from the aging power hitter. Earlier this year, he spoke out against another one-year deal, citing the negative effects it would have on him. Although he has recently shot those comments down, you have to believe there is some truth.

Then, there is the Tampa Bay Rays.

All season, everyone in the world new that 2010 was the last chance for the Rays to make something happen— at least for the near future. Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, and Rafael Soriano will likely all be gone next season, and that says everything that needs to be said for this team.

The American League East will always be a top division, but it looks as though there may be some legitimate competition for these teams in the years to come. As of now, there aren’t too many options to drastically improve teams, and the Red Sox, Rays, and Yankees may find the most drawbacks in that sorrowful truth. 

For the top analysis of the week, subscribe to Bronx Weekly. To read more thoughts and analysis, check out my blog. Subscribe to my articles and blog posts here. Also, follow me on Twitter, send me an e-mail and check out more at jesskcoleman.com.

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Are the New York Yankees making Cliff Lee an immediate offer?

According to the New York Post, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is on a plane headed for Arkansas. Maybe he’s going to check out Walmart’s international head quarters. Or maybe he is considering bringing Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino back to the world of professional sports.

But most likely he’s going to meet with free agent stud Cliff Lee, who is from and lives in “The Natural State.”

Cashman has plenty of obstacles to overcome in signing Lee, but most prominent is his wife’s apparent disdain for the Big Apple, after she was harassed during the ALCS at Yankee Stadium.

But negotiating a deal appeasing to both sides is also an issue. Lee is 32 years old. He is going to want a long contract, something similar to what the club gave his former teammate CC Sabathia just two years ago. But was three years younger when they signed him in 2009.

Several teams will be looking to sign Lee but the Yankees might be the only ones with the money, although the Rangers could get the “hometown” discount.

Here are 10 more rumors floating around the world of Major League Baseball.

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After another fine season and trip to the postseason in 2010, Derek Jeter got a little more good news on Tuesday afternoon when it was announced that he’d received his fifth American League Gold Glove award in honor of his tremendous defensive play at shortstop.

This award could not have come at a better time for the shortstop, as Jeter is a free agent and will soon be negotiating his latest, and potentially last, contract with the New York Yankees.

And while there will be those who say that Jeter had a down year in 2010, and that he may be at the beginning of the downside of his career, to this we say “hogwash.”

Derek Jeter proved once again in 2010 with not only his play but with his leadership and gamesmanship that he remains one of the elite players in Major League Baseball on both sides of the ball, and deserves to be paid like it.

With this in mind, we present: Eight Reasons Why Derek Jeter Deserves To Be Amongst the Highest-Paid Players in Baseball.

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